Obama to pledge $3B to UN fund aiding poor nations' climate fight

President Obama is poised to make a hefty pledge to a fund that helps poor nations fight and adapt to climate change.

ADVERTISEMENT

On the heels of announcing an unexpected, landmark deal with China to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Obama will commit $3 billion over the next four years to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, a White House official told The Hill on Friday.

"It is in our national interest to help vulnerable countries to build resilience to climate change," the official said on Friday.

"More resilient communities are less likely to descend into instability or conflict in the aftermath of extreme climate events, needing more costly interventions to restore stability and rebuild."

Obama will announce the commitments during a meeting with global leaders for the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia.

"We want to encourage all major countries to contribute," the official added.

The pledge is meant to send a strong signal to other nations to act on climate change, especially the host country of Australia, whose prime minister, Tony Abbott, recently repealed the country’s carbon pollution tax on industry sources.

The Green Climate Fund, established to aid less-developed countries, is considered crucial in negotiation talks leading up to the Paris meeting next year, where nearly 180 countries will try to forge a global climate treaty to slash emissions.